On the set of new ITV crime drama, Code of Silence, the cast and crew learned a new ‘word of the day’ in British Sign Language (BSL), but deaf actress Rose Ayling-Ellis had some ground rules.

“I really tried to avoid teaching rude words because often that’s the only one people remember, and they don’t remember anything else,” says the former EastEnders star, 30. “So [I told them] ‘You can only learn your rude words when you learn more useful ones!’”

Rose, who was born in Hythe and played Frankie in the BBC soap from 2020 until 2022, is the lead in Code of Silence, which is told from her character Alison Brooks’s perspective – a deaf woman who is working in a police canteen when her talent for lip-reading is spotted.

Stockport-born Andrew Buchan, 46, stars as DI James Marsh, while Ghosts and You actress Charlotte Ritchie, 35, plays DS Ashleigh Francis, who together recruit Alison to help them surveil a highly dangerous gang.

The show has been created by Charlotte Moulton (Baptiste, Hijack), who has experience of lip-reading and hearing loss herself, and is set in Canterbury – a familiar place for Rose, who studied fashion design at the city’s University for the Creative Arts campus and graduated in 2016.

Rose, who was born deaf, competed in the 19th series of Strictly Come Dancing in 2021 and became the show’s first deaf contestant.

“A lot of people assume that communication is just listening and speaking, but there’s so much depth to communication,” says Rose, who practically broke the British public when she performed a dance set to complete silence on Strictly, a moment that represented the deaf community in a truly momentous and moving way.

The actress has become a beacon for a community that has long been ignored when it comes to TV and film – but that brings with it a lot of pressure.

“I’ve learnt how to balance that pressure and I tell myself I can’t represent everyone, it’s impossible. I can’t represent all deaf people because all deaf people are different and it’s not on me to show that on TV.

“It’s the industry that needs to cast more diversity of deaf people and that’s not on me, so I’ve cut that pressure off me. I can only do what I can and do my best, and just do what I love and enjoy it and be passionate about it.

“The pressure is always going to be there but I hope we see more deaf people on screen.”

Rose and the rest of the cast are hopeful that Code of Silence will usher in a new era of inclusion on telly, while also being a gripping six-parter packed with drama.

“That combination of representation and pure talent was a no-brainer for me,” adds star Charlotte Ritchie. “You see the show and it feels so overdue.”

The first episode of Code of Silence premiered on Sunday, May 18 and is now available to watch on ITVX.